Changing In College Can Be A Good Thing

As a college student I am faced with many obstacles throughout the day and a lot of peer pressure. Many people think teenagers will go off to college and be different. In some ways, yes, college students do change. I am writing today about how I have changed, but it is certainly not into the non-caring college student. I have noticed a difference in myself, and I am genuinely happy about the change.

As a freshman many things occur in college. The awful struggle of having to make more friends, getting use to a hectic schedule, and trying to have a social life. Being in college away from home is totally different than being at home and in high school. Being in a town surrounded by college kids gives a very different vibe. There are parties, there is alcohol, and there are drugs. Unfortunately, many students turn down the path of destruction and head right for those bad things. I’m not saying I will never make a mistake while of at college, but I do say that I plan to never touch anything like those.

Now you guys must be wondering, if I haven’t changed in such a way, how have I changed? I have changed in ways that I find better for myself. With college comes drama. I have learned how to finally stick up for myself. I have been determined to no longer let people walk all over me for their enjoyment. Being off at college is teaching me to “fend for myself”. I must surround by people that would like to be by friend, but I am also surrounded people that care about me so much, and it is up to me to surround myself with the right people.

I have already seen a change in my faith while here at school. When first moving in I was determined to find a church while here at school. I have been lucky and found one that I enjoy very much. Throughout the weeks things can seem to drag on, but I remember that there is a purpose for it all. God has placed me in school so I may succeed further on in life and I must trust him for that.

My overall drive has totally changed since being at school. I have become determined to work hard for my grades and get my stuff together. To become a teacher, I have realized I need to stay focused on school work and nothing more.

Through the many joys of college, it is okay to change and be different than how you were back home and back at high school. Life is about changing and learning to make your own decisions. It is all a part of growing up and that is what I’m doing.

To High School Seniors In Their Last Semester

Dammit, you made it. The final semester of your senior year. You’re at the top of the food chain of high school, and it feels so good. You’re probably praying this last semester flies by, that you get out of town as soon as possible.

At this point, you’re calling teachers by their first names, the entire staff knows you by name, and you’re walking around school standing tall, owning those hallways. You’re convinced you’re ready to leave and move on to the next chapter in your life.

You’ve already experienced your last football game, standing in the cold in the front row of the student section all season long, decked out in your school colors and cheering loud and proud. That is, until they lost, and you realized you will never have that experience again. Never again.

You already had your last winter break. Preparing and celebrating the holidays with your family, ice skating and sledding with your best friends. Those quiet nights alone in your room watching Netflix, taking for granted your loved ones just a few rooms away. Never again.

If you’re an athlete, you may have already played in your last game or ran your last race. The crowd cheering, proudly wearing your school’s name across your chest, giving it your all. For some, it may be the end of your athletic career. Before you knew it, you were standing in an empty gym, staring up at the banners and thinking about the mark you left on your school, wondering where on earth the time went. Never again.

I’m telling you right now, you’re going to miss it all. Everything you’ve ever known. Those early mornings when you debate going to first hour because you really need those McDonald’s hash browns. The late nights driving home from practice, stopping for ice cream of course, ready for a late night of homework. Getting food on a whim with your friends. Endless fights with your siblings. Your favorite chips in the pantry. A fridge full of food. Coming home to and getting tackled by your dog. Driving around your hometown, passing the same sights you’ve seen every day for as long as you can remember. Hugs from your mom after a long day. Laughs with your dad. And that best friend of yours? You’re going to miss them more than anything. I’m telling you right now, nothing will ever be the same. Never again.

Before you start packing your bags, slow down, take a deep breath, and look around. You’ve got it pretty good here. The end of your senior year can be the time of your life; it’s truly amazing. So go to the winter dance, go to Prom, spend Senior Skip Day with your classmates, go to every sporting event you can, while you still can. College is pretty great, but it’s the little things you’re gonna miss the most. Don’t take it for granted because soon, you’ll be standing in a packed gym in your cap and gown, wondering where the heck the time went. You’ve got a long, beautiful life ahead of you, full of joy but also full of challenges. You’re going to meet so many wonderful people, people who will treat you right and people who won’t.

So, take it all in. Be excited for the future and look forward to it, but be mindful of the present. You’ve got this.

Remember When It Was Cool To Not Care?

A few days ago, I had to go to the Reitz Union with a bunch of my fellow Preview Staffers in order to do gator chants and be overly enthusiastic for middle schoolers. You know, the usual. After we finished welcoming the middle schoolers, a few of my friends and I were talking about how in middle school, we were all super unenthused about, well, everything. Then, my friend turned to me and said: "Remember when it was cool to not care?".

Yes, I do remember. I remember being in sixth grade, thinking I was too cool for school and that hating things was the new, hip way of becoming Jenny from the block. That my teenage angst and the suppression of my true, gentle, loving self was the only way that I would have status among the coolest of cool sixth graders. The truth is, it isn't cool to hate things.

Today, I am the biggest, most enthusiastic goober on the planet. I love caring. I love obsessing over my friends and cheering them on. I love being in love with my university. I love being in love with life. I love loving my parents. I love caring WAY too much. And I think that it is the coolest thing in the world. The coolest person you can be is someone who cares a whole awful lot.

I don't know why this happens. Why every middle schooler thinks that it is cool to not care about their parents or to disconnect from the world. But what I do know is that this is learned. We shouldn't teach our kids or our students or our peers to not care. We should teach them to love and to laugh and to break out of their shell and be themselves without fear or reprimand. We shouldn't tell people that they are "annoying" when all they are is enthusiastic. We shouldn't scold people for getting loud when talking about things that they are passionate about.

I think that you should be loud and enthusiastic and passionate in every sense of those words because they are absolutely wonderful things to be. The world doesn't need more hate. It needs more care, more love, and more joy. Even from middle schoolers.